Apparatus for forming explosive powder into spherical grains.



P. 1. DH PONT. APPARATUS FOR FORMING EXPLOSIVB rowmm INTO SPHERIGAL GRAINS.

APPLIUATIOH FILED 110.13, 181B.

Patented Aug. 41, 191i ATTOR/YEK Hilfifitl with water to render the mass pasty.

' matically.

FRANCIS I. DU FONT. OF W'ILMi'ENGTON, DELAWARE.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING EXPLOSIVE POW'DER INTO SPIIERICAL GRAINS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed AugnstlS. 1913.

Patented Aug. at, 1914. Serial No. 784,478.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, Fnxxcis I. or lox'r, a citizen of the United F tatcs. residing at i Vvilmington, county of Yew tlsillt, and Stale of Delaware, have inns-howl a new and useful Improvement in ilpparatus for FormingExplosive Powder into Spherical Grains, of which the following is a fulh clear, and exact description, reference being: had to the aecon'nn n ving drawings, which 1 form a, part of thi specification.

The object of my invention is to provide I a n'iaehine for practising a process of manui factoring black powder in granular fol-mi invented jointly by Ernest du Font and my- I self and formingthe subject matter of an application for patent tiled of even datev herewith, Serial No. itlh-li i'. To carry out the said process, the ordinary ingredients of black powder, for example, T3 parts of niter. 16 parts of charcoal and Li. parts of sulfur, are while in a 'dry state, thormighl v The mass is then subdivided into i arliclcs of approximately uniform size. and weight and the particles are brought into mo ing contact with a heated surface. which has the eli'ect of shaping the particles so that they tend-to assume the form of balls or-spheres.

The object .of my invention may be more specifically stated to be the provision of a machine whereby, after the black powder ingredients are mixed and, by means of water, converted into a pasty condition, the process. may be carried out entirely auto- In the drawings, whicl'rshow a preferred embodiment of my invention: l igure l is a side elevation of a portion of an-appm'atus embodying my invention; Fig.- :3 is a side View showing the remaining portion ot" the apparatus (shown partly iii-end view ml Fig. 1); Figs. 3 and l are enlarged detail views showing how the propelhir blades hi i the holes in the plate.

The explosive ingredients. in the form o f a pasty mass by previous mlnnxturo 'vvun water as hereinbeforc cx ilained, are. iutrw I duced into a conical receptacle or hoppiru which is preferable am iarlcelml. Within the receptacle ('1 is a vertical rc oluhle -hatt i 5 having a number of radial propellm' l blades c more or le inclined to the vertical. l Pro ecting inward from the walls of the rel oeptaele a are a number of radial blades or i wings (7, which just clear the blades 0. l'h'creby rotation of the mixture within the receptacle is prevented or obstructed and the same is forced down tom of the receptacle. Any suitable means for rotating the shaft 7) may be employed, a:-:. or instance, a driving shaft (,1 having a bevel gear 7' in driving; engagement with a hovel gear on the shaft 0. ()n the extreme lower end. of the shaft are inclined blades 7L, similar to the blades 0 but performing the special function of pressing the material through holes 11 in a flat horizontally extending revoluble annular plate j, which is virtually the rim portion of a relatively large wheel j, rotatable on a vertical axis, and driven by mains of a ht vel gear wheel m. engaging a rack a arranged on the lower face of the wheel in concentric relation to the wheels axis and between said axis and the rows of holes "i. The holes 7' are ar ranged in rows inconecntric relation to the axis and to each othe' and extend entirely around the wheel near its periphery." The portion or the wheel which. at any given time, covers the outlet of the receptacle (1,

iv closes ;:.l(l outlet, so that no material :an escape from the rectptacle except through the holes 2'. The blades A press the material "into the holes a similarly to the 'mam'icr in which a nail hole is filled with putty by means of a knife; as may be clearly seen by reference to Fin: 3. The holes 21 extend completely through the plate/ from face to face thereof. but the material is prevented from being; forced out of the lower ends of the holes by means of a stationary plate or guard 11, which imuwdiately underlies that part of the wheel which, at any given time,

i s beneath the outlet of the receptacle 1.

.Ata suitable distance (measuring circumt'erentially along the rows of holes in the wheel j) from the mouth of the receptacle a (say 180 degrees therefrom) arranged a wheel, or series of wheels, 7), turning on 'a horizontal axis within a vertical plane extending radially of the axis of the wheel j. The wheel, or series of wheels, 7), is of substantially thethiclmess of, or slightly thicker than, the width of the annular per- .lorated portion of the wheel y', and is pro vided, on its periphery, with a number of ejectcrs 'lhese ejeetors are shown as fingers or projections arranged in rows cor: responding to the number of rows of holes &

toward the open bot.

iii

K stand 3 it a bevel go if ll) (11ml 7 in the Wheel y", and are spaced apart to correspond to the spacing apart of the holes 71,

and are adapted to engage the holes a: some .What similarly to the manner in which a sprocket Wheel engages a sprock t chain. It "will thus be understood that the Wheel 7) will be driven by reason or" its engagement with thcpertorations in the Wheel j and need not be otherwise positively driven. .li t Will also be understood that the fingers Q, as they are projected into the holes 2', necessarily push out the separate plugs of powder with which the holes have been filled. Preferably the fingers are only -oi such length as to torce the plugs to the lower edge of the holes but not to actually detach them from the wheel, to which they cling by reason of the pasty consistency of the material, To insure the complete detachment of the plugs there is provided a knock-oft, preferably in thetorm of a thread 6', arranged immediately below the, wheel j and just in advance of the axis of the Wheel p. To maintain the thread in a clean condition it is caused to pass from a spool a to a spool 1', the latter being slowly rotated from any suitable driying neans. The plugs thus detached from the Wheel tall down into a hopper o and thence pass into an inclined.

cylindrical vessel QU. See Fig. 9;. The Wall of the vessel w, andalso the Wall of the hopper 1* and particularly the part ofthe latter upon which the pieces drop, must be heated and to this end are shown as steam-jacketed. The receiring end of the vessel to is elevated above the level of the discharge end and is rotatably supported upon rollers on a "The open lower end of the vessel 10 has extending therefrom a two-arined spider secured'to a hollow shaft 10 en tending axially oi the vessel 10, The shaft 10 turns in a bearing 11 and has secured to 1:2, which engages any ap propriate d rig mechanism.

lit the leitt hand side of Fig. 2 are shown a steanrinlet pipe 13 and a steanrdischarge pipe Ll, both connected to the steam jacket-l5 in the Wall of the hopper o. fitv the right hand side of Fig. 2 are shown pipes and l? performing siinilar functioiis. The inlet pipe 16 extends from the jacket 18 in the one arm of the spider e and thence, through the hollow interior, and the shaft 10. The discharge pipe. 17 e1:- tends from the jasirhet 18 through the other arm of the spider and thence through the llOllCZW interior of the shaft 10.

-he powder plugs- Wheel m by the ejecting Wheel. y) and the kneel: oil Z are each in the shape of short cylinders. Preferably theyare -.nc t in a. substantially heated condition a ndto enable them to cool somewhat at'tcr' they are pressed into the holes 2', the ejecting means Wall of the vessel '10 through along the axis, fo'l' discharged from the. v

the operation may be cal are arranged at a considerable distance from the outlet of the receptacle a. It has been discovered that When plugs of this shape, or of any irregular shape, are dropped upon a heated surface and agitated thereon, they tend to assume a spherical form. hen, therefore the powder grains are'discharged from the lower end of the vessel to, they are rounded and substantially uniform in size. it the material is especially stitl, the grains will less readily tend to assume a perfect spherical form, but even in this case a round-- ing of the edges will be efiected with a resultant good product. it Will be understood, therefore, that. the invention is not limited to a machine, or apparatus in which the resultant. product necessarily approximates a spherical form.

."l he rolling of the grains 0r plugs upon a heated surface not only rounds th m as above described, but this rolling contact is maintained until they arethoroughl dry.

The apparatus also provides for a suiiiciem circulation of air to carry off the moisture, which is expelled from the particlesv by means of the heat conducted and radiated from the heated surface.

By reason of the fact that the shaping and drying of the powder grains re entirely effected by the simple operation of conveying the grains to a heated moving surface,

scale a small expense.

It Wlil be understood that the invention is not limited to thedetails of structure shown' in the drawings and hereinbefore described,

as the same may be varied from, to the extent peinntted by the clanns, without deinrention. i

Having now i'ully described my invention,

powder into grains "whose shape tends to he spherical, the combination h means adapted tojseparate the explosive into a uuiltiplieity of particles of non-spherical shape, and means presenting a moving; heated surttiice adapted to receive the separate particles and reshape them into approxnnately spheric. in 'a .machine for ft'oriniug; explosive powder into grains-whose shape tends l0 he rato particles of non spherical,Shape. and

means presenting: a moving heated sun I'm-iadapted to receii'e-the separate particles ied out on a large.

c tends to be separate .the explosive into plugs, means and subject-them to a rolling motion (whereby they are rounded) and simultaneously dry them. i

4. In a machine for forming explosive powder into grains whose shape tends to be spherical, the combination with Hneans adapted to separate the explosi-vc into a multiplicity of cylindrically shaped particles, areceptacle adapted to receive the pa rticlcs, means to rotate, and means to heat the receptacle, whereby the particles are simultaneously subjected to heat and to a rolling action, resulting in reshaping the particles into approximately spherical t'orin'.

In a machine for forming explosive powder into grains whose" shape tends to be spherical, the combination with a moving plate having holes, filling means to force the explosive into said holes, a revoluble wheel provided with fingers adapted, in the movement of the plate, to enter said holes and force the plugs outwardly. and means presenting a moving heated surface adapted to receive the plugs and form. them into balls.

6. In a machine for forming explosive powder into grains whose shape tends to be spherical, the combination with a moving plate having holes, filling means to force the explosive into said holes and thereby adapted to enter said holes and force the plugs outwardly, a knock-oft adapted to de tach the plugs from the plate, and means presenting a moving heated surface adapted to receive the plugs 'and -form them into balls.

7. In a machine for forming explosive powder into grains Whose shape tends to be spherical, the combination with a moving plate having holes, filling means to force the explosive into said holes and thereby separate the explosive into plugs, means adapted to enter said holes and force the plugs outwardly, a thread extending under and transversely of the direction of move-' ment of, the plate and adapted, in the movement of the plate, to detach the plugs therefrom, and means to move the thread in the direction of its length.

In a machine for forming explosive powder into grains whose shape tends to be spherical, the combination with a moving plate having holes, filling means to force the explosive into said holes 'and thereby separate the explosivointo plugs, means adapted to enter said holes and force the plugs out- 'ardl v. a thread adapted to underlie the plate and. in the latters movement, detach the plugs t roin the plate, .means to move the thread in the direction of its length, and

means presenting a moving heated surface tltllll tlaldt)-jl((0l\'0 the plngsa'nd io'rm them into balls 9. In a machine for "forming explosive;

powder into grains whose shape tends to be spherical, the combination with a moving plate having holes, filling means to 'l'crec the explosive into said holes and thereby separate the explosive into plugs, a revoluble wheel provided with lingers adapted, in the movement of the plate, to enter said holes explosive into said holes and thereby separate the explosive into plugs, a wheel above the plate and whose axis extends parallel to the plate and at substantially right angle to the direction ot movement of the plate at the point, of the latters passage beneath the wheel. said wheel having radial lingers spaced to correspond to the arrangemen of the holes in the plate and adapted, as the plate moves, to enter the holes and thereby cause the wheel to revolve and force the plugs outwardly, and means present-in; a moving heated surface adapted to receive the plugs and form them into balls.

11. In a machine for former explosive powder into grains whose shape tends to be spherical, the combination with a moving plate having holes, filling means to force the explosive into said holesand thereby separate'the explosive into plugs, ejecting powder into grains whose shape tends to be spherical, the coml' ination with a receptacle for the explosive having an open bottom. a vertical. shaft within the receptacle. blades on the shaft and courting blades on the innc-r wall of the receptacle extending inward toward the shaft. :1 wheel rotatable on a vertical axis, a plate carried bv the wheel and extending conccntricall v ol' the wheel's axi.-:

-and adapted. in the rotation ot the wheel,

to travel under and close the month ot' said receptacle, holes extending through the plate. a blade carried by said shaft and locatcd close to the rotating plate and adapted to force the cxplo i\e into said holes. a staticnarv guard plate located iuulcriuaath the rotatin; plate, a rcvolublc 'llccl arranged above the rotating plate and provided with lingers adapted, in the rotation of the plate,

eliienwe to enter said holes and force the plugs outmeans to heat the inner Wall Of the cylinder \Ynrdly, a knock-oil thread adapted to unand the wall of the hopper upon which. said clei'lie the plate and, in the latters rolaplugs fall. tion, detach the plugs from the rotating In testimony of which invention, 1 have 5 plate,1neniis t0 move the thiead in the direchereunto set my hand, at Wilmington, on 15 tien of its length a hopper located beneath this 7th day of August, 1913, the knock-oil thread and adaptedto receive FRANCIS DU FONT the detached plugs, 21 revoluble inclined cylindex Whose upper encl ceininunicates with w the discharge mouth of the hopper, and

Witnesses HOWARD Genuine, M. M. HAMILTON. 

